Our View: Don't let painkillers inflict more pain

Thursday

Mar 13, 2014 at 6:00 PMMar 13, 2014 at 6:27 PM

As officials grapple with ways to address the problem, part of the solution comes from ourselves. Pain — physical and emotional — is an inevitable byproduct of life. But rather than numbing the pain with a powerful, addictive narcotic, sometimes it is better to just endure it and look for better ways to cope with it — both inside and outside of the medicine cabinet.

Editorial Board

The addictive prescription drugs that people take to ease pain may be inflicting significantly more pain in our community than they’re easing. In Massachusetts, 40 percent of residents have been prescribed such medication.

There is no question that there are some legitimate reasons for powerful pain medications to be prescribed. The state is trying to get a handle on the situation and prevent drug abuse and fraud through the Massachusetts Prescription Monitoring Program.

That program was the subject of a roundtable discussion at the treatment center on the frontlines of Fall River’s drug epidemic: Stanley Street Treatment and Resources, also known as SSTAR. There, health care providers, pharmacists, state officials, law enforcement officers and others gathered to share information and ideas for closing the gaps in the system that allow prescription abuse to occur.

Part of the problem stems from doctor and pharmacy shopping, where a patient will go to multiple doctors or pharmacies to obtain prescriptions. In other cases, some doctors over-prescribe these drugs when other non-addictive, painkillers and non-pharmaceutical pain management options are available.

But getting to the root of the problem is not as easy as just shutting off a faucet either. After people become addicted to painkillers, they often seek the drugs through whatever means they can. That can lead to stealing painkillers from friends, loved ones, strangers — or buying them on the street.

When the access to prescription drugs runs out — or becomes too expensive — it can lead some to turn to heroin, which is cheaper and sometimes laced with potent — even lethal — doses of other drugs. It can contribute to a cycle of crime.

It’s a crisis not only confined to high-poverty or inner-city areas. For his part, state Rep. Alan Silvia has filed legislation to limit such prescriptions, but it’s unclear whether that is the best approach to take. Gatherings like those at SSTAR this week are a good place to start, but the discussions must also translate into well-informed action.

As officials grapple with ways to address the problem, part of the solution comes from ourselves. Pain — physical and emotional — is an inevitable byproduct of life. But rather than numbing the pain with a powerful, addictive narcotic, sometimes it is better to just endure it and look for better ways to cope with it — both inside and outside of the medicine cabinet.